Nikela Blog Archives - Nikela: Helping People Saving Wildlife

How Nikela is helping stop the spread of Covid-19

Mar 31, 2020 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: elephant, Human Wildlife Conflict, Human Wildlife Conflict, Nikela Blog, wildlife conservation Tagged: beehive project, Coronavirus, farmers, Moses Ryakitimbo, saving elephants, Tanzania

During his recent beehive project maintenance check Moses found the farmers very concerned about the spread of Covid-19. The Coronavirus is slithering its ugly tentacles everywhere! Tanzania, in East Africa, has less than 20 confirmed cases to-date. However, in a country with limited health care and economic power the Covid-19 threat is very real. Moses lives in Arusha, the country’s third largest city with a population of over 400,000. Over 700,000 inhabitants when you include the surrounding area. The beehive project is in the surrounding area, outside of the Arusha National Park where elephant, buffalo, leopard and many varieties of…

If you canceled your African Safari because of Coronavirus – Please consider this.

Mar 25, 2020 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: Nikela Blog

Many African countries are keeping travelers from Europe and the USA out. This forced a mass cancellation of African Safari trips. The Bad News about your African Safari The Coronavirus chaos becomes more and more far reaching! Everyday our lives are impacted in a new way. Our world becomes smaller and more restricted. You like many others were so looking forward to that African Safari. Maybe it was your very first… you’d been saving for a long time to finally get out there to see elephants, lions, zebra, rhino, cheetah, and if you’re lucky, even an elusive leopard. Or maybe…

3 Ways Corona Virus is Hurting Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers

Mar 18, 2020 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: Free to be Wild, Give Vervet Monkeys a Second Chance, Nikela Blog, Vervet monkeys, Volunteers Tagged: Baye Pigors, Corona Virus, Silke von Eynern, wildlife rehabilitation

I’m struggling to pull my thoughts together. Struggling even to sit down with my laptop and write this article. This Corona Virus is ever present in my thoughts and occupying far too much of my time. At least 3 Ways Corona Virus is hurting Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers ONE: Being distracted. Be honest, aren’t you also watching your screen for updates? Chatting with friends on Facebook about their experience? Wondering if the meager stash of toilet paper in your closet is going to last? And the list goes on… tons of things on our minds, distracting us from helping where most…

Why these farmers are celebrating this harvest season in Tanzania

Mar 10, 2020 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: elephant, Human Wildlife Conflict, Nikela Blog, wild animals, wildlife conservation Tagged: farmer crops, human-wildlife conflict, Moses Ryakitimbo, saving elephants, win-win

Where wild animals and people live close together human wildlife conflicts are inevitable. Then why are these farmers celebrating? Well, it all started when one man had the notion that with a bunch of beehives the elephants would stay away. Moses took a risk. He approached us here at Nikela to sponsor 10 beehives to keep elephants from destroying farm crops. Families were losing their livelihood, their food and at times their lives. Elephants were crushing their maize. Lone bulls were scaring old and young alike as they tramped through crop fields. Some farmers were grabbing spears and snares to…

How the Baby Elephant Lost His Trunk to Animal Poaching

Mar 4, 2020 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: Animal Poaching, elephant, Nikela Blog, wild animals, wildlife conservation, Wildlife Trafficking Tagged: elephant poaching, Lynn Clifford, Malawi, ranger scout

Animal poaching is never pretty. Wildlife of all sizes can fall prey to being brutally killed for its meat or other valued body parts. Rhino get poached for their horn. Elephants for their tusks. Pangolin for their scales. Lions for their paws. And the list goes on. The poacher frequently uses primitive means to bring down his prey. Some have told us they use spears while others prefer laying snares. Both are cruel. Both generally deadly. Snares are made out of wire. The wire is carefully bent into a series of loops that constrict when the animal steps into it,…